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Double Truth: how are we to look at it?

Abstract:
There is consensus among historians of medieval philosophy that the Double Truth was never held by late medieval scholastics. Double Truth is the position that conflicting philosophical and religious ideas are both true. It was denounced in the Condemnation of 1277 by the bishop of Paris, and criticised in Aquinas’s De unitate intellectus (1270). The consensus is based on accounts of Double Truth in these two sources, examination of scholastic texts potentially presenting Double Truth positions, and the Aristotelian definition of philosophical contradiction. However, close reading of the two sources does not support the definition of Double Truth used by historians. This article analyses the evidence, and proposes that we modify how we define Double Truth to account for a genuine historical phenomenon warranting the reactions of Aquinas and the bishop of Paris. It also suggests that we reconsider Boethius of Dacia and possibly Siger of Brabant as proponents of it.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.2143/RTPM.88.1.3289285

Authors

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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
HUMS
Department:
Theology Faculty
Sub department:
Theology and Religion Faculty
Role:
Author

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Grant:
701523
Programme:
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions–IF–701523–BoundSci

Publisher:
Peeters Publishers
Journal:
Recherches de Théologie et Philosophie Médiévales More from this journal
Volume:
88
Issue:
1
Pages:
89-141
Publication date:
2021-05-01
Acceptance date:
2020-09-08
DOI:
EISSN:
1783-1717
ISSN:
1370-7493

Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1135522
Local pid:
pubs:1135522
Deposit date:
2020-09-29
ARK identifier:

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